Page 51 of Crowned By the Shadow
The tunnel sloped upward, winding its way through the heart of the mountain. Unlike the main chambers of the Keep, this passage felt ancient, forgotten. Dust covered the floor, undisturbed save for the small tracks of creatures too insignificant for Eldric to notice.
“How much farther?” Thorn asked, his voice barely audible.
“Not far,” Wyn replied. “The dungeons are just ahead. I can feel Van and Volker’s presence.”
I reached for the pendant, trying to confirm her words with my own senses. A faint connection formed. It was just enough to know they were alive, but not strong enough to see through their eyes again.
“They’re still alive,” I confirmed. “But something’s blocking a stronger connection.”
“Eldric will have wards in place,” Wyn said. “Especially after our last visit. He was meticulous about the chamber he held me in, so I’m sure he’s doing the same with them.”
We continued in silence, each step bringing us closer to our imprisoned friends. The tunnel eventually opened into a wider passage, the ceiling rising high above our heads. Faint light filtered down from grates that were built into the ceiling above, casting eerie shadows across our path.
“The dungeons are through there,” Wyn said, pointing to a heavy iron door at the end of the passage. “Two guards on the other side.”
“Can you sense if they’re corrupted?” Ronan asked.
Wyn closed her eyes briefly. “Yes. The void has them. They’re not dragonkin, just regular fae guards who’ve been turned.”
“I’ll handle them,” I said, reaching for the Moon Blades. They materialized in my hands, their silver light threaded with gold, just like my mark.
Thorn placed a hand on my arm. “Wait. Let Wyn try first. Her new powers might let us avoid a fight altogether.”
The idea hadn’t even occurred to me, and it bothered me a little that my first choice had been violence. I nodded, stepping back as Wyn moved toward the door. She placed her palms against the iron surface, and shadows gathered around her hands, seeping through the metal like water through cloth.
“Sleep,” she whispered, her voice carrying a new authority that sent shivers down my spine.
A moment passed, then another. Wyn stepped back, a small smile playing across her lips. “They’re unconscious. That being said, I’m not sure how long it will last, so we probably only have a few minutes at most.”
Ronan stepped forward, examining the lock. “I can pick this. Give me a moment.”
While he worked, I kept watch, the Moon Blades humming softly in my hands. Thorn stood at my back, his presence a comfort in this place of darkness.
“Got it,” Ronan said as the lock clicked open. “Remember, quick and quiet. We get Van and Volker, then we’re gone.”
We slipped through the door into a circular chamber. The unconscious guards lay slumped against the wall, their weapons still sheathed. Beyond them, a corridor lined with cells stretched into darkness.
“Which one?” I whispered to Wyn. I knew if I looked in each cell for my friends, then I’d feel as though I had to save everyone there, dragonkin or not, and that wasn’t something we’d come prepared to do.
She pointed to a cell near the end of the corridor. “There. Both of them.”
We moved swiftly, passing empty cells and others containing shapes I couldn’t bear to look at too closely, so I told myself they were just piles of blankets and pushed the guilt deep downto deal with later. The corruption was stronger here, pulsing through the walls and floor like a heartbeat.
When we reached the cell Wyn had pointed to, I peered through the dark at the shapes on the other side of the bars. My heart leapt at the sight of Van and Volker, huddled in a corner, but then sank at their condition. They looked worse than in my vision. Volker’s face was pale with blood loss, his injured arm bound in torn strips of cloth. Van’s usual vibrancy was dimmed, his shoulders slumped with exhaustion.
“Van,” I called softly. “Volker.”
Their heads snapped up, disbelief written across their features.
“Senara?” Van breathed, rising shakily to his feet. “Is it really you?”
“It’s me,” I confirmed. “We’re getting you out of here. Stand back from the door.”
I raised the Moon Blades, preparing to cut through the lock, but Wyn stopped me.
“Let me,” she said. “I can do it without making noise and there are wards on the lock that Ronan won’t be able to pick his way through.”
I stepped aside again, watching as she placed her hands on the lock. Shadows and light intertwined around her fingers, and the lock simply... dissolved, the metal turning to dust that drifted to the floor.
